Times of Peril
by kaari8
Summary: So I was think about it.. and what would of happened in healing of the vines in the circle of magic quartet if Sandry got the plague not rosethorn? She accompanies tris when she goes to the greenhouse to replace peachleaf and that's when the accident happens. Starts when they arrive.
1. Chapter 1

Hey this chapter is just to set up pretty much. it starts from the moment tris arrives at the greenhouse:)

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"Tris! Over here." Briar called out. He was surprised when he saw Sandry accompanying him and wondered what could be important enough for her to actually come, not just send a mind message to him. The girls walked over to him slowly, taking everything in with wide eyes. Briar saw they both had red thumbprints on their foreheads and smiled for the colour almost matched Tris's hair.

"Trisana. You won't be able to bring that out of here when you leave and we had our own writing implements." Crane informed her.

"Yes I know that." She replied crossly. "I just prefer to have my own things. Everything is set up how I like it. now where to I start?"

Crane directed her to Peachleaf's old spot and she quickly got to work sorting through the previous notes and her utensils.

"So what brings you here." Briar asked Sandry curiously.

"Oh Lark said it would be good if I got some fresh air for an hour or two and I have to talk to Crane about how many more suits he wants and everything."

Briar saw how thin and pale she was and could hear the weariness in her voice, he probed the connection between them in his mind was shocked at how low her reserves were and quickly pushed some of his magic through. She looked up gratefully and smiled at him, the paleness in her face disappearing.

"Thanks. Well I suppose I should talk to Crane now, these suits are awfully uncomfortable. Even if I did make them."

With a parting smile to him, she walked to where Tris and Crane were talking.

"Excuse me Dedicate Crane, but I have some queries about the amount of suits you want and when."

* * *

Briar watched from across the room as they talked and worried about his sister. For her reserves to be that low she must be working herself to the bone to produce all the protection that she can. Then he remembered that Tris was with her before and called out to her through their link.

_What do you want Briar? I have to memorize the previous notes._

_Does Sandry look, I don't know, exhausted to you?_

_What do you expect? Seriously. She's been working herself to exhaustion to make sure that everyone gets the best protection she can. Her and Lark both._

With that she cut of their connection and returned to her memorizing. He returned back to his tray and finished it slowly, still thinking about Sandry. He placed the tray on the shelf and was about to get a new one when Sandry passed him. Quickly turning he grabbed her arm and pulled her over.

"Sandry you have to stop working yourself so hard. Eat and rest more. Ok?"

She smiled at him, a proper smile, one that lit up her whole face making it seem not as tired. "If you say so mother."

He ruffled her hair and turned away, just as a novice ran into her with a tray of blue pox essence. It splattered across the front of her suit, across both arms and Briar swore he saw some go on her neck. Everything stopped, all eyes on the catastrophe. Briar was the first one to break the silence.

"You stupid bleater! Watch where you're walking look what you've done!" he pushed the novice until he was several steps away from where Sandry was just standing there, afraid to move.

"I'm sorry, so so sorry-"

"Get. Out." Crane said quietly and the novice ran. "Sandrilene did any of it touch you?" When she shook her head slowly he continued. "Then Briar, take off her suit and just put it on the floor. Then Lady Sandrilene can go cleanse herself."

Sandry nodded and stood still as Briar stripped the suit off. He looked hard at her neck and the gap between the glove and suit but couldn't find anything, much to his relief. When he was finished, Sandry walked towards the door like she was in a daze, everyone getting out of her way. Briar walked back to his desk with his tray and sat down but didn't touch it. He wasn't even going to attempt it until the shaking in his hands stopped.

"Briar, it's all right. She wouldn't let any of it touch her would she?" Rosethorn came over and laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder before returning back to his work.

_She's right Briar. _Tris told him even though he could sense how shaken up she was aswell.

_Yeh I know I'm just being silly._

Their eyes met for a second before they both got back to work and briar swore for a second he saw the same fear he felt echoed in her eyes.

* * *

So thats it, how waas it? im just setting it up and introducing everything so i hope it wasnt to bad, opinions are always welcome, good or bad:)


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys, just a disclaimer, i dont own anything tamora pierce does:)

* * *

_Tris? Daja? Briar?_ Sandry's mind voice called out, opening a connection between the four of them. _Can I borrow some of your magic? Mine's running pretty low and we've still got heaps of suits to make._

_Sure. _Daja was the first one to reply and gave her some of her magic as she was currently taking a break .

_Yeh here,_ Briar and Tris both said at the same time gave her some magic as well.

_Thanks guys._ She said in relief before fading out. The other three however did not.

_Did you guys sense how low her magic was? _Daja asked, shocked.

_It's even lower then yesterday, _Briar put in.

_Do you think..? _Tris trailed off but Briar knew what she was implying.

_No. No way. Don't even think something like that Tris!_ Briar snapped before cutting the connection.

_What was that about? _Daja asked.

Resigning herself, Tris explained the scene yesterday and could feel Daja's growing horror.

_None of it got on her though, _Tris finished.

_We hope._

They both faded out and tried to get back to work but Tris couldn't concentrate and soon she was making just as many mistakes as Peachleaf was.

"Trisana I said four drops of lilyroot and three of poppy not four drops of poppy and three of lillyroot. That's the eleventh mistake in this hour alone, you're even worse than Peachleaf was. What is your issue?" Crane snarled angrily. "I can't focus on my work if you're constantly making errors that could cause major problems."

Tris felt her eyes prick and she stopped herself from crying through sheer force of will alone. She was Trisana Chandler and she did not cry in front of people, even if she was overly emotional with worry for her friend.

"I'm sorry I just can't seem to focus. I keep thinking of Sandry."

Crane's angry expression faded somewhat and his eyes softened. Now that he looked closer, he could see how his assistants forehead was creased in worry and the way her eyes didn't focus on one thing for long before moving on.

"She said none of the pox got on her skin and the cleaning staff said her thumbprint was still red when she left. She's perfectly fine and is even now working to make protective suits. She wouldn't be able to do that if she was sick would she?"

Tris shook her head slowly, reassured.

"She's fine and you need to focus on your work so other people can be."

Tris nodded and got back to work, able to concentrate much better and therefore making no mistakes. They made progress that day, causing everyone to go home in high spirits. Tris, Rosethorn and Briar took their time walking home, enjoying the fresh air after a day stuck in one room. When they finally reached the cottage, Lark came out to greet them. It was obvious that she had been working all day. She had thread over her habit and deep bags under her eyes. As the walked inside, Tris and Briar conversed with each other while rosethorn spoke to lark.

"You look tired." Rosethorn commented dryly.

Lark smiled tiredly, "That's because I am. Poor Sandry though, I keep forgetting she isn't a fully accredited mage and doesn't have magic reserves like we do. She crashed hours ago and hasn't gotten up since. Although I guess she has been working especially hard these last few days."

Briar and Tris exchanged relieved glances. So the reason Sandry's magic was so low was because she was working really hard. Briar felt like laughing out loud he was so happy and they ate their dinner in high spirits. Their relief could only push back their exhaustion for a short while though and before long they were all asleep in their own beds except for Daja who was sleeping at the forge with Frostpine.

The next morning they all awoke slowly, still tired from the previous day but feeling much better. They ambled towards the kitchen where Tris was already setting the kettle up for tea. It took a while before they realized something was missing.

"Where's Little Bear? And Sandry?" Briar asked sleepily. "By now he's usually vying for breakfast."

"He slept with me last night." Sandry said.

They all turned to see her shuffle out of her room, little bear following her closely. Briar looked at her closely and saw she had lost weight and he could see how she was unsteady on her feet. Was it just because she was tired and working hard? He looked over to Rosethorn and saw she noticed it too, his worry was echoed in her eyes. Once Sandry was seated she was served a tea and porridge and sipped her tea gratefully.

"How is the work going?" She asked Briar.

He hesitated before replying. "We made some good progress yesterday, hows yours?"

"Tiring." She gave a half smile. "Lark said it's just because I don't have reserves but I still think I should be able to do this."

"You should listen to Lark." Rosethorn told her, "She usually knows what she talks about."

Sandry laughed quietly as Lark ruffled her hair. As her hair moved Tris caught a glimpse of the red thumbprint through the hair covering her forehead and smiled, she was still healthy. There was no way the pox wouldn't have infected her by now if she was sick. Conversation flowed smoothly after that and Tris packed up all the dishes afterward. That's how she noticed that Sandry hadn't even touched her porridge.

A few hours after Tris, Briar and Rosethorn left for the greenhouse Sandry and Lark had resumed the looms when Lark stopped all of a sudden. Sandry stopped too and turned to her teacher, a questioning look in her eyes.

"I forgot to remind Rosethorn of the plant she wanted from her garden! She said it was vital but must have forgotten it because I can see it on the table from here."

Sandry sighed at stood up, leaning on the chair for a second until she could maintain her footing. She was a lot weaker than yesterday but tried hiding it from Lark. "It alright, ill take it to her. You're much better then me at this so you shouldn't stop."

Lark nodded her thanks and resumed her weaving as Sandry made her way out the room and picked up the plant. She walked out the door and towards the greenhouse. When she had gotten about halfway there her legs gave out and she stumbled, barely maintaining her footing. Regaining her balance, she continued walking taking plenty of rests on the way. It felt like she had no energy at all and by the time she got there she exhausted. The cleansing crew at the greenhouse got her into a suit and allowed her in after checking her thumbprint. Still red.

Sandry walked slowly over to Rosethorn and placed the plant on her desk. Rosethorn looked up in surprise before recognition clicked in her eyes and she thanked Sandry profusely.

"Are you ok Sandry?" Rosehtorn asked after a moment. "You don't look so good. How hard is Lark working you?"

Sandry swallowed dryly and answered. "I'm just a bit tired, ill be fine but thankyou."

Rosethorn frowned but let it go.

"At least sit down a moment, ill get you a drink before you go back."

Sandry agreed and sat down, resting her head on her hands. In what felt like forever, Rosethorn finally came back with some tea and offered it to her. She drank deeply and returned the empty glass to her.

"Thanks Rosethorn. But I really should be going. I'll just quickly say hello to Briar."

Rosethorn nodded and her eyes followed the young noble as she made her way to where Briar was working.

"She doesn't look good." Crane's voice said from next to Rosethorn, she didn't even hear him come up.

"That she doesn't."

Briar looked up at the pale face standing before him. it took him a moment to recognize her and when he did, he did a double take. Sandry's eyes had deep purple bags on a very pale face. Her hair covered her forehead to hang limply around her face. She had lots even more weight and her lips were dry. She reminded him of someone in the moment but he couldn't recall who. It was at the very tip of his tongue but he couldn't recall the name. They talked for a bit until she said goodbye and stepped away. As she was walking away briar remember who it was she reminded him of. He stood up quickly, jerking his chair back and leaping forward to catch her as she collapsed in a dead faint. He caught her just in time and cradled her against him. He pushed her hair away from her forehead and found what he new he would see before he had done it. The thumbprint had turned white. He slid to the ground to hold her in his lap. People were crowding around them and gasping in horror when they saw her. Crane, Tris and Rosethorn pushed to the front and when they saw her Tris rushed forward to kneel beside them. Rosethorn had a hand over her mouth and Crane was staring with hard eyes. Tris met Briars eyes and he saw his pain in them. Dead silence overcame the room and Briar tore his eyes away from Tris to look at rosethorn.

"Flick." He told her. "She reminded me of Flick."

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Hope you liked the chapter, going to get interesting between Briar and Sandry hopefully and maybe even the duke will make an appearance:) no promises though ;) i might make a few changes on the symptons of the pox but nothing major, probably just adding a few in with the excuse she was splashed with experimented on pox so it is different/evolved from everyone elses:) haha just keeping things interesting. im open to advice or suggestions for the story so just tell me :)

kaari xox


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys, just a disclaimer, i dont own anything tamora pierce does:)

* * *

Lark was sitting at her loom when she heard a noise from outside and multiple voices. Frowning, she put aside her work and made her way out of the room. All of winding circle knew that she was busy making powerful protection suits for everyone and musn't be distracted by trivial things. At first she thought it could be Sandry before remembering that she had heard a variety of voices. She sighed and opened the front door just as a hand was raised to knock. Lark recognized Crane's assistant and her expression became confused, what would she be doing here? That's when she noticed the small group standing just behind Osprey. It consisted of Briar and Rosethorn carrying someone who was blocked from her view by Tris.

"Dedicate Lark," Osprey said urgently. "We must get her down to rest. We've been given permission to keep her here."

Lark stepped aside and ushered them through. "You may put her down on the couch while I make us something to drink. What is her problem?"

"She has been infected with the blue pox."

Lark gasped and whirled around to face the group. That's when she noticed the person lying down was only a young girl, still a young teen. She had very well made clothes and something about them struck a chord in her memory. Horror washed over her as she remembered why the clothes seemed familiar to her.

"No." She whispered.

Lark stumbled forwards and the others made a path for her, revealing the limp form of her student, the girl who was the closest thing she would ever to a daughter lying pale and shaking on the couch.

"No." She repeated, her voice stronger now. "Sandry wouldn't let herself get sick, she's so careful all the time and her clothes have the best protection there is. How did this happen?"

Rosethorn removed her eyes from Sandry to lift them up to Lark in surprise.

"She didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"When Sandry came to drop Tris off the other day there was an accident. A novice ran into her and spilt a tray of experimented essence on her. She assured us that she didn't let any of it touch her skin but obviously she was lying."

Lark couldnt process it, why would Sandry keep this information from her? Then she realized who she was talking about and answered her own question. Sandry wouldn't have wanted her to worry. Lark shook her head and knelt down beside the young noble.

"Oh Sandry you foolish, foolish girl." Lark sighed, smoothing some stray hairs away from Sandry's face.

"Lark you shouldn't get that close to her." Osprey said hesitantly. "She's infected and extremely contagious."

Lark sent her a hard look but still stepped away from Sandry.

"We've been given permission to take the rest of the day off and get Sandry situated comfortably." Rosethorn said. "We have equipment and suits given to us for her care."

Lark nodded in acceptance, she wouldnt have it any other way. Then a thought stuck in her head and she frowned.

"Why did her thumbprint not turn red immediately then? If she was exposed days ago then she should have gotten sick then, not now."

Rosethorn winced and nervously rubbed her hands together. "It's because Crane's detection oil wasn't defined enough. It didnt change colour as long her magic fought it off."

"So when she had none left it finally detected the disease?"

"That's correct."

Lark then turned to Briar and Tris. "Why didnt you sense that her magic was so low?" She demanded angrily.

"We did _and _we gave her some of ours but she just said it was because you were working her so hard." Tris shot back.

Lark backed down and looked at the other two more closely. In her anger she had missed the two pale faces looking defiantly up at her. Both of their eyes were consumed with worry.

"I'm sorry Tris, Briar. My emotions made me unreasonable and i shouldn't have growled at you."

They accepted her apology before turning back to their sister.

"I knew something was off." Briar muttered, half to himself, half to everyone else. "I knew it. She said she was just tired but I should have known it was more than that."

"You can't blame yourself Briar." Rosethorn said softly, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"But you don't _understand_." He exclaimed, slamming his head onto his hands. "I can feel her sickness. I thought before that it was just her exhaustion but now I know better. It's like a leech, sucking away at her until there's nothing left."

"I feel it too." Tris said. "I don't known how to explain it though, it's like a horrible feeling that wont go away. And when i try give her more of my magic it only strengthens her for a short amount of time."

Lark and Rosethorn exchanged worried glances and were about to speak when Sandry stirred and woke up.

"Briar? Tris?" She mumbled, reaching out to grasp Briars sleeve.

"We're here Sandry. You're at discipline."

"What happened? The last thing I remember is going to the greenhouse to drop off something for Rosethorn."

"You collapsed," Lark said. "Apparently you forgot to tell me able the accident in the greenhouse."

Sandry inhaled sharply as she realized what was making her feel so horrible. "I got the blue pox didn't I?" She whispered.

The silence that followed her question was answer enough. She drew a shuddering breath and pressed a hand to her aching head.

"Uncle is going to be so mad at me." She said.

Lark gave a little laugh, more in surprise than anything. Then she sobered up as she realized just how mad the duke would actually be. She gulped audibly.

"He definitely will be."

Sandry sighed and laid back down against the couch. "Don't tell him then." She said quietly. "I bet you anything that you'll have found a cure before I even show spots."

Briar lent in and laid a hand on her cheek. "You bet we will."

Sandry smiled as she drifted back off to sleep and the hand that had previously been clutched in Briar's shirt slid down to rest against the floor.

He watched her for a moment longer before turning back to the others.

"Come on." He said. "Lets get her in her own bed and comfortable. Then we'll get back to the greenhouse, we have to find this cure now more than ever."

They nodded in agreement and got to work.

* * *

**Hey everyone! This chapter wasnt exactly what i planned it to be but im not unhappy with how it turned out:) if you have any inquires or issues then just review or send me a message and let me know:) thankyou for reading, it means a lot!**

**love you all,  
**

**kaari xx  
**


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys, just a disclaimer, i dont own anything tamora pierce does:)

* * *

Sandry woke up feeling like her head was about to split into two. There were the faint sounds of a loom in the background and quiet talking. She groaned and sat up but immediately regretted it when the movement only made it worse.

"Lark." She croaked, "are you here?"

The sound of looms stopped, as did the voices. Footsteps approached and almost immediately Lark and Daja were standing at her door.

"Daja! When did you get here?" Sandry exclaimed, her pain breifly forgotten in the excitement of seeing her sister.

"Just a few minutes ago actually, I came as soon as I heard. How could you be so careless Sandry?" Daja said, her voice fading to a whisper at the end.

She reached out to hold Sandry's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Even though she had asked the question, she knew the answer. Sandry wouldn't have wanted to trouble anyone so she ignored what she was feeling and now look at her. She was pale and shaking, even after just waking up.

"I'm sorry." She whispered back, "I didn't want to trouble anyone."

Daja rolled her eyes, her suspicions had been correct, and leaned forward to give her sister a hug.

"You couldn't have if you tried."

Sandry nodded and turned to Lark. "Do you have an willowbark tea?" She asked quietly. "My head is pounding and it wont stop."

She knew she sounded like a child, but at that moment, she didnt care.

"Of course we do. While I'm at it, do you want anything to eat?"

"Um no thank you, im not hungry."

Daja looked at her sharply, Sandry never turned down a meal, before sharing a meaningful look with Lark.

"Ill be right back."

After she left, Daja and Sandry talked, catching up on all the things they had missed out on. She could see Sandry growing weaker by the second though and quickly cam up with an idea of how to help. She grabbed Sandry's hand and Sandry's rest had replenished her magic some but not nearly as much as Daja's boost did. She watched in satisfaction as colour returned to her pale cheeks and some of the shaking stopped.

"Thank you Daja but will you have enough to work with Frostpine now?"

"We've done enough to last for the next few days so I'll be fine."

"If you say so." She say doubtfully.

"I brought your tea" Lark said from the doorway. "Besides the headache, how are you feeling?"

Sandry gave her a smile, lifting shaking hands up to cradle to warm cup. "I feel alright thank you Lark."

"Are you telling me the truth?"

Sandry hesitated for a second before continuing. "No im telling the truth."

"If you say so." Lark replied doubtfully.

Sandry giggle quietly, causing them both to look at her, not seeing anything funny.

"You see," she explained between giggles. "I just said that to Daja not two minutes ago!"

The two other women shook their heads before standing up.

"It seems that you're a bit slaphappy." Lark began.

"So we should leave you to rest." Daja finished.

Sandry just closed her eyes and smiled, tired despite her good mood. When they closed the door behind her Lark turned to Daja.

"You gave her some of your magic didnt you?"

Daja looked up at her foster mother, trying to gauge her emotions. "Why do you think that?"

"Before i left she was pale and shaking, when i came back, she was laughing and seeming to feel much better."

Ok yes i did, is that bad?"

"No I was just wondering.. What are we going to do when you three run out of spare magic to give her?"

And to that, Daja didnt have an answer.

Daja left to go back to the forge soon after, leaving Lark alone to take care of Sandry, It wasnt hard though considering all she did all day was sleep. It seemed like in no time at all Briar, Tris and Rosethorn were arriving home, exhausted after their day. Briar was the first one to walk through the door.

"How's Sandry?"

Lark sighed, not really expecting as greeting anyway. "She's slept the whole day almost."

"That's good right?"

"It's not bad." Rosethorn cut in, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We've had a hard day. Why dont you have something to eat and then afterwards we can check on her?"

Briar looked like he wanted to protest but when Tris also put her hand on him he gave in and turned away from Sandry's closed door.

"Come on Briar, she'll be alright. We made good progress today."

He nodded and followed everyone to the table. Dinner was very simple as none of them wanted to anything elaborate. They ate in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts, when a voice sounded from Sandry's doorway.

"It's like a death house in here, lighten up a bit."

"Sandry!"

She walked over to the table and plonked herself down before crossing her arms and resting her head on them.

"How are you feeling?" Rosethorn asked casually.

"I've been asleep all day so i have no excuse to feel tired." She replied tartly, straightening her posture and pushing her shoulders back.

"_Do_ you feel tired though?" Tris asked.

"No." Sandry lied.

Briar scoffed and gave her an amused look. "Duchess you have to learn to lie better than that."

She glared at him. "I'm not lying."

He kept smiling at her and eventually she smiled back. "Ok maybe i'm a little bit tired but its nothing to worry about, im sure you're all more tired than i am."

Tris smiled and rubbed her eyes. "You could be right about that."

"Here, I'll clean up." Sandry offered, grabbing everyones plates.

She brought them to the bench and started to wash them when hands reached around her and took the plate she was working on from her grasp.

"Here," Briar whispered in her ear. "I'll do this, you go to bed."

She started to protest before sighing, knowing instinctively that she wouldnt be able to win this argument. She trudged back to her bed and crawled under the covers, her last thought of how nice it was with Briars arms around her.

Back out in the living room, Lark watched Briar with speculative eyes. This was the first time she had ever seen him _volunteer_ to do extra chores without getting anything in return. Possibly there was something else going on between those two...

She was startled out of her thoughts by sounds of horses and loud voices in the front. Frowning, Lark opened the door to see a group of men and women in uniform. She winced, guessing what was about to happen.

"Dedicate Lark." A voice said from right next to the door. She gasped and whirled, putting a hand to her throat.

"Duke Vedris! You scared me." She said.

"I apologize, may i come in."

She nodded and held the door open, holding back a grimace until he could no longer see her expression. Then she walked in behind him and shut the door.

"Duke Vedris! To what do we owe this pleasure?" Briar asked, feigning ignorance.

His eyes showed a slight amount of amusement that was overshadowed by worry and annoyance.

"I think you know." He said. "Where is she?"

Briar grimaced, he had been hoping to get a laugh at least. "In her room sir."

The duke nodded and turned his back on them to walk into Sandry's room. Faint voices could be heard before the door was closed behind him.

Tris sighed in relief. "That could have been worse." She said, smiling slightly.

"He's not finished, he just wants to see Sandry first." Rosethorn said wearily.

Lark and Briar nodded in agreement before Lark stood up.

"Well im going to be in my workroom." She said, "I'm going to be doing some really important work so dont interrupt me unless there's an emergency."

"Coward." Rosethorn called to her retreating back.

"I dont know what you're talking about." Was the smiling reply.

Rosethorn rolled her eyes, "I'm sure you dont."

* * *

**Hey everyone! This chapter wasnt exactly what i planned it to be but im not unhappy with how it turned out:) if you have any inquires or issues then just review or send me a message and let me know:) thankyou for reading, it means a lot!**

**love you all,  
**

**kaari xx  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer" Tamora Pierce owns everything**

**Review Replies:**

**MythStar Black Dragon**: Thank you for reading my story!

**Guest:** With the living rooms, i just thinik that that is a loose description of general meeting room. It's where people go to talk in comfort:) And i loove Briar and Sandry together! They didnt grow up together and at this point they had only known each other for less than a year so they wouldn't have developed a brother/sister bond like she would have with Daja and Tris because of the opposite gender thing, plus their different backgrounds. I think they would have just become really close then romantic feelings may have developed.

**Sassy618:** Thank you for reading! It means a lot! And i had always wondered too, which is why i started writing it ahahah:)

* * *

Sandry was startled out of her sleep by the sound of her door opening. She looked up to see her great-uncle walk in slowly and she wiggled into a sitting position and smiled.

"Uncle," She sighed, half happy, half resigned. "I wondered how long we could keep this from you. I guess a day was pretty sad huh?"

Duke Vedris' frown lines settled even deeper and he echoed her sigh before closing the door and walking over to sit on the chair beside her bed.

"You shouldnt have tried to keep me from this." He said sternly. "I should have been one of the first ones to know."

He leaned forwards and gripped on of her cold hands in his, rubbing it slightly to warm it up. Her bones felt so brittle, as if one good hit and they might shatter.

"I'm sorry Uncle." Sandry murmured apologetically. "I just didnt want you to worry."

Vedris chuckled weakly. "Well im worried so you'll just have to get better then."

Sandry smiled and they talked about many different things, from the castle to her latest works. Her eyes started to droop sometime during their conversation and not much longer she nodded off, her one hand falling limp in his two. Instead of leaving however, Vedris stayed beside her as she slept, inspecting all the minor and major changes that had occurred since the last time he had seen her. She was thinner for one, and paler. Her hair didnt hold its usual glow and their were deep bags beneath her eyes. Her eyelids fluttered in her sleep slightly and she was restless, muttering unintelligibly.

He had suffered through so much loss in his life, he just kept losing the people close to him. It had started with his wife, many years ago. She had gotten sick - much like Sandry was now - and there was nothing the healers could do. He had been by her side right until the end, until the moment the life faded from her beautiful eyes. Then, just when he had been getting better, his nephew and wife had died in the smallpox epidemic. He had thanked the Gods that Sandry hadnt died as well but no matter how old he lived, Vedris wouldnt forget the lifeless look in her eyes when he had first seen her afterwards. It was like all the joy and happiness had been drained away. It had taken weeks for her to gain some interest in life again and at one point he wondered if she ever would.

Then, after all that, his son started distancing himself and becoming more arrogant. He was no longer a father, he was a means to an end. The moment he died, his son would become the ruler of Emelan and they both knew it.

Vedris didnt know what he would do if he lost someone else. Sandry had become more than a great-neice, she had become like a daughter to him. He valued her opinions and she could cheer him up on his gloomiest days. She was like sunshine to him. People couldnt survive without the sun. He lightly brought the hand to his lips and kissed it, then her forehead, and then left. She would need all the rest and strength she could muster to beat this.

* * *

Rosethoen was sitting at the table talking quietly with her charges and the Duke's escorts, when the sick girls door opened once again and Duke Vedris walked out. He closed the door as quietly as possible before turning and glaring at the tables occupants. The escorts quickly made their retreat and the Discipline residents physically braced themselves for what was coming.

"Who's fault was it?" He asked. His voice was quiet but it held the force of a shout.

"A novice at the greenhouse. He has been dealt with, dont worry."

It was the wrong thing to say.

"Can you please leave children?" He asked quietly.

The three tried protesting but was cut off by a sharp shake of the head by rosethorn. Without another word they filed out the door.

"Dont worry?" Vedris' voice cracked slightly at the end. "That girl in there is like a daughter to me. That girl, was entrusted in _your_ care. I _trusted_ you to make sure nothing would happen to her. Instead of her being safe however, she has been put in danger time after time again. First, she was almost killed, buried underground in an earthquake. Then, she went up against a fleet of pirates with only her friends for backup. That wasnt it though because then she was made to fight a forest fire and almost magically exhausted herself completely. As if all that wouldnt be enough for anyone, but then, you had her exposed to the damn blue pox, a deadly infection that so far has a one hundred percent fatality rate."

By the end off his speech Vedris was panting softly, his eyes ablze with anger. Rosethorn sat in silence throughout it, knowing that the Duke just needed to vent his worry on someone he knew wouldnt judge him for it. She let him get it all out before standing and laying a hand on his bicep and staring him in the eyes.

"She's going to be alright. We're working our asses off for a cure and you know better than almost anyone how strong she is. She'll get through this. She isnt alone."

Vedris exhaled and slumped slightly. "I'm sorry Rosethorn, that was unfair of me. It's not your fault."

Rosethorn accepted his apology gracefullly and was about to reply when a harsh coughing broke the silence.

They rushed in to Sandry's bedroom, quickly followed by the rest of Diciplines occupants to find Sandry leaning over the edge of the bed hacking her lungs up. She struggled to breath in between coughs but couldnt stop coughing at the same time. Daja quickly got a cup of water and held it to her sisters lips when a glop of some black-red substance dribbled out of Sandry's mouth. It fell into the water and tainted the pure liquid, brightening to blood red. It was blood.

Everyone stared in horror at the cup as Sandry's coughs quietened down and she fell back asleep, oblivious once more to the people surrounding her.

"She's coughing up blood." Tris finally said in a hollow voice. "No one else did that did they?"

Silence met her question before Briar finally answered, his voice filled with horror and worry. "No they didnt. Her pox had been experimented on. We have no way of knowing how it's evolved."

They were all silent once more until Lark spoke. "Then we had better get some sleep and work even harder to find a cure tomorrow. Ill take the first watch."

* * *

**Ok so what do you think? A very emotional chapter aye ;) im not really sure when the next chapter will be up but if you reallyy, really want an update just pm me and ill see if i can tell you whats going on and when you can expect the next one:)**

**Kaari x**


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